Denying Pain
by Elsakun
Summary: What if Link had said "no" to Raoru? What if he was awake those seven years? Join a now mature Link on his journey to save the world... with a little help. -OoT based-
1. The Army

A/N

I would just like to announce that this is my first Legend of Zelda story. It's based on Ocarina of Time. I added a BIG twist, so I hope you like it!

I hereby disclaim all characters and the game. They are copyrighted to Nintendo. I did not, nor will I ever, attempt to steal those rights.

* * *

Chapter One: The Army

Link surveyed his army, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked as if they had any fighting experience. There were a few buff men, though they _obviously_ hadn't the faintest clue how to hold a sword... To his surprise, the children seemed to know more about fighting than the adults did. They held a sword nearly correctly, or if they weren't using sword, their bows.

A few of the women tried using axes, and though they blatantly didn't know what to do with them, they were stubborn enough to try it in battle. The other women stayed in the back, medical kits and staffs at the ready, although none of them looked very proud of it.

He sighed to himself, preparing to go through the training exercises with them. How did he wind up in this situation again?

Oh, right. It all started seven years ago, on his tenth birthday, the day he received his fairy...

- -

After a night spent tormented with nightmares, a fairy by the name of Navi approached him, announcing he was the 'Chosen One'.

"Come on, Link! You're the Chosen One! Oh, I'll explain later—come on! Let's get to the Great Deku Tree!"

After acquiring a sword and a shield, he'd approached it, and in the end—killed it. He hadn't meant to, of course, but ridding its curse meant letting it die. Many of the Kokiri blamed him for the tragically unavoidable event—especially Mido. So he left the Forest, and whether the Deku Tree had told him differently, he would have anyway. Saria then stopped him, delayed him, to give him something.

"It's not much, I'll admit, but... please, take this ocarina I made for you. And when you play on it, remember us, remember the Kokiri... and remember me."

He traveled onwards, bearing her words in mind, and still today they were engraved into his memory. He'd faced many challenges—even just narrowly escaping the engagement of the Zora princess, Ruto—but finally, he had all three Spiritual Stones, which he would use to save Hyrule.

Princess Zelda, the rightful king's daughter, gave him the Ocarina of Time while escaping Ganondorf, and soon Link encountered the fearful man face-to-face. After being taunted for being childish and weak, he was able to grab the ocarina and stumble into the Temple of Time without any more problems.

There, he met the Sage of Light, Raoru.

"Come, Link... you are the Chosen Hero... however, you are not yet of age. Even heroes must be at a certain age in order to fulfill their destiny. You should sleep, and when you awaken, it will be the time..."

Link's response?

"No."

That was all he said, before turning around and leaving the poor man with a look of sheer disbelief on his face. According to the Great Deku Tree, he'd already accomplished _some_ of his destiny—thus proving Raoru wrong. He didn't have time to argue with someone who so wrongly protested the Great Deku Tree's teachings.

All these years, he'd been building a reputation. Helping out others in need with even the smallest things. He wanted the people to know they could rely on him. If he'd just suddenly appeared out of the blue, no one would trust him.

And now, he had exactly the reputation he needed... in order to overthrow Ganondorf.

- -

That was how he'd achieved this high-ranked position of trust. Not many were able to convince _anyone,_ much less almost all of Hyrule, that Ganondorf needed overthrowing, and no one was going to come do it for them. 'Almost all of Hyrule,' of course, refers to Gerudo Valley, which has long been in favor of Ganondorf's reign.

...Although, he would always wonder whether that was because they truly wanted Ganondorf to rule, or because Ganondorf made 'deals' with them. He shuddered at the thought every time he remembered it and resolved that he would never know, nor would he go looking for the answer.

Done reminiscing, he reached into his pocket, retrieving his ocarina. Despite the fact Zelda herself had given him the Ocarina of Time, he did not feel comfortable with it. It felt like something of great value, beyond his understanding. So he used Saria's.

"_Remember us, remember the Kokiri... and remember me."_

He blew a high G on the ocarina; all heads turned to him. "Greetings. I'm Link, if some of you don't know." His voice was quiet and mature, but they all knew how loud he could be if he grew angry. "You've all been called here today, because we are going to overthrow Ganondorf. You are determined to get rid of him. He murdered the king, the one you loved and trusted! He even sent the princess into hiding, and today no one has the faintest clue about her whereabouts!"

He clenched his fists, relieving the experience. "You all _hate_ this man! He destroyed your country, turning it from the wonderful lush garden it was into this rocky, barren wasteland! And if that wasn't enough, he's not _ruling_ Hyrule, he's _conquering_ it!"

Shouts of agreement rang through the crowd, and he knew he said everything just right. Now they were psyched, motivated.

"In order to get rid of him, you have to train." His voice returned to its quiet state. "You must. Not only for the sake of Hyrule, its kingdom, and its princess—but for those you love, as well." With that, ordering was his job. "Pair up with another and practice. I have the archers' training grounds down below, and the swordsmen will train with the Gorons on Death Mountain."

No one trusted the Gorons, but they all trusted Link. If he trusted the Gorons, then they would, as well. For now, at least. If it were to get rid of Ganondorf, then by Nayru, they'd trust those Gorons!

Link then set about a routine, traveling from group to group, to group to group. He made sure not to tire, and that Malon and several other of her girlfriends were bringing everyone food, water and cloths to wipe away sweat. Though he didn't dare admit it, he was proud that they were working so hard.

Finally, at eleven in the evening, they retired to their homes. Those from other places, such as Lon Lon Ranch and Zora's Domain, stayed at the inn, or with whomever was kind enough to allow them into their house. The Gorons simply returned to their Death Mountain cavern—probably to get a bellyful of those delicious rocks, he figured.

Link loved Kakariko Village, he really did... but something made him want to punch somebody. He felt it whenever he came here—a burning desire to hurt someone... He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. He would much rather have had trained these people at Lon Lon, but Zoras did not take to being that much inland, and the Gorons preferred remaining close to their precious horde. Besides, the Kakariko villagers probably did not want to leave their land to become what they needed to be.

With a sigh, done with the day, he collapsed against a tree, still surrounded by shrubs—just as he remembered from when he was ten. He was worn out from all the running around, and he never did like jumping back and forth. Although, this was what he was going to do. It was to get rid of Ganondorf, so it... must be done...

"Link?"

His eyes flickered open, although he could not remember when he closed them a second later. He then snapped fully awake when he saw who stood before him: a small child, clothed in green...

"It _is_ you." She sighed, as if in relief. "I haven't seen you in so long..."

"Saria?" he shook his head. "What...? No, I know I asked for the Kokiri to come—I didn't think you would—I don't want you to get hurt!"

"Take a good look at me," she recommended, gesturing to her body. He did, and gasped—she was transparent! "I can't come here, but I can send a fraction of my power here... just enough for you to see me, at least a little bit." She smiled fondly. "The forest spirits told me of your achievements... I had to see the Link I adored..."

"Saria..." Tears bristled his eyes at her words, but he tried to ignore them. If he wanted information, then... "Why...? What do you mean by 'you can't come here'? The Kokiri claimed they couldn't, but they weren't deterred by the outside world—if anything, they became stronger."

"It only applies to Sages," she revealed hesitantly. "The Great Deku Tree told us this to prevent any Sage from leaving. To prevent anyone from being treated unfairly."

Link shook his head. "I don't understand... W-where's Mido?"

"He's with me," she replied, her smile widening. "You care for him, Link?! That's great! Wait until he hears how Link still remembers him!"

He huffed, embarrassed "No, no, it's not that! He was... he was the leader, right? I figured he of all the Kokiri would come, and he _is_ the strongest..."

"He's staying here for _me,_ Link." His eyes widened—why did that bother him, if he knew he didn't love her?—but she didn't stop there. "I can't even leave the Lost Woods. Most of the Kokiri simply left the forest just to get away from the monsters."

"I—" he was cut off by her sudden scream of pain. Immediately, he jumped up, swinging out his sword from mere instinct. "Saria?!"

"Link, help me—come to the Temple!" she cried, and her next scream was cut off—she abruptly vanished.

He was panting out of fear, knowing what he had to do, but yet scared to do it. He'd been in dungeons and surrounded with peril many times, but...

A small, white ball of light flickered in front of his eyes. He sighed, feeling a little more relaxed. He hadn't seen Navi in a while, and he needed her now. But before he could ask her what to do, she spoke the two words he did not want to hear.

"_It's time."_


	2. Helping out an Old Friend

Darunia rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. "It's time, is it...?"

Link nodded, a hand massaging the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. Darune, I don't want to go back to that old man. He's... I don't know, I don't like him. I trust him, sure, but... he's just dislikable." He sighed. "He offered me something I would never accept in a million years—that leaves a bad impression."

"I understand," Darunia nodded. "Link, brother, I think you should go. Even if you don't like him, if there's anything you could do about the situation as it currently stands... more than you've already done, anyway... then I say, go ahead and do it. I'll take care of the townspeople until you return."

Link was thoughtful a moment, then the ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Yeah... Thanks, Darune." They shared a Goron hug, and the Hylian set down the mountain, believing he was mentally prepared for what Raoru would have to say.

Unfortunately, the thought of Raoru made him shudder, so he switched his train of thought to a different track. The cuckoo lady, as she was referred to, came up to him and asked him to help her with her cuckoos. She'd lost them again. He was glad to help her, as always, but... he did have somewhere to be.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, the cuckoos tended to each favor one specific spot, so he was able to get them to her quickly and be out the gate. He sighed, unsteady, watching the sun set beyond the mountains far in the distance. Vaguely, he wondered if he would ever feel the need to travel those mountains. Knowing the big journey in store for him, he would.

"Link?"

He blinked, his gaze shifting from the mountains to the person in front of him. There, an elderly, stocky man stood. He was balding, and the hair that was left were thick strands of brown. He was covered head to toe in dirt, almost encasing his blue overalls and red t-shirt.

"Talon?"

The man let out a huge breath of relief. "I made it here, then?"

"Yeah..." Link blinked. "Are you okay? Where's Malon?"

Talon moaned. "My Malon... my dear, precious Malon... Link, Ingo forced me out of the ranch."

A surge of rage charged through him. "He _what?!"_

"Oh, and he kept Malon... Link, it's just terrible..." Tears were springing in Talon's eyes, before he sighed and wiped them away. "I'm going to sleep my troubles away, lad..." Talon pat his back. "I'll be seeing you in a while... I'd bet my bottom dollar you're leaving here for somethin' important. I can smell it. Well, good luck with that, and just know we're always here for you."

This was why Link liked Talon. Talon could tell when he was upset, and as a bonus, comfort him without really knowing the problem. Often, Link found him to be the dad he never had. Grinding his teeth together in thought, he continued his journey, deciding that as long as he got to his destination, it didn't matter what detours he took.

- -

"Hiiiiiiiiiiii! Welcome to _Ingo Ranch!_ Haha, what can I do fer ya?"

Wincing, Link rubbed his ears. Ingo sounded a lot like a goat for some reason... "Um, I'm here to buy a horse," he lied, taking in the changes of the ranch. The size didn't change, yet it seemed smaller. The horses were caged in to the pen, which was something Talon never did, even at night. And the worst news was that Malon wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Of course you are!" Ingo grinned. He wore light blue overalls with a gray shirt, happily rid of the pitchfork he used to always swing around. "However, I have a few conditions. You can only be in the pen for, say, thirty minutes, before I have to let you out whether you've chosen her or not. Either way, you have to pay a down payment of thirty rupees, and if you like your horse, then pay me fifty rupees, and she's yours."

Link nodded, wondering why in the world Ingo had decided that he had to be a rip-off artist. "Alright. Oh, and... I'm an old friend of Talon's. It looks like he's sold off the Ranch, and I saw him on the way here. But do you know where his daughter, Malon, is?"

"Eh? The brat?" Ingo shrugged. "She's doing her chores—decided she didn't want to leave with her dad." Then he scrutinized Link, narrowing his eyes. "Hey... do I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh, this is the first time we've met," Link lied. "Can I speak with Malon before I see the horses? I have a message for her from her father."

Ingo's eyes narrowed even further, near to slits. Obviously, he was against it, but he was trying to decide whether or not it would be good for his image to decline. After a moment, he sighed. "Okay. But make it quick—she's busy."

Thanking him with false gratitude, Link hurried to the barn, where he expected Malon to be—and there she was. He couldn't stop himself from gasping in amazement the first time he saw her. She was so... beautiful, even in misery. This wasn't at all like he thought she would be. Her long, smooth red hair outlined her rosy cheeks perfectly and caressed her form like a mother would caress her child. And her eyes, so wondrous and yet so sad, sparkled a rebellious jade-green. Her face was round, yet mature.

She swerved to him in alarm from her work: changing the hay in the stables. "O-oh," she breathed in relief. "Are you a customer?" Her voice was like an exotic music he'd never heard before, and he longed to hear her speak again. But this was another matter.

"No, I'm—" Before he could get another word out, Navi scurried out, excited, practically shoving herself into Malon's face.

"Hey, Malon! How's it going? I heard Talon left and Ingo took over! That's _awful!_ But you're okay, right?"

Malon stared at the fairy incomprehensibly for a moment, and Link panicked. Maybe she didn't remember? But then she beamed and hugged Navi to her chest. "Ohmigosh! _Navi!_ I've missed you, girl!"

Link's eyes followed Malon's hands—and then stopped. Oh... goddesses. He'd been around women his age before, but... goddesses! She had _huge..._

"Oh, and then—you're the fairy boy from the market!" Malon jumped up from her kneeling form and grinned at him, releasing Navi. "Wow! You've grown!" And then she hugged him.

Link was in heaven for a moment as he returned the hug. "S-so have you," he replied with an awkward smile. Navi whacked him on the head and he released Malon, rubbing his poor, poor scalp. "Ow! Navi!"

"I'll be talking with you, young man," she scoffed. "You're not here to _enjoy_ yourself."

His face heated and he cleared his throat. "I—I know that! Uh, Malon, I want to know what happened. I mean, Talon said Ingo made you stay, but Ingo says you chose to. And Talon is so worried about you."

Malon's eyes softened. "Ingo... I don't know what happened to him. He was called away for a meeting with Ganondorf, and when he returned, he kicked Talon out. He said that Ganondorf gave the ranch and... me to him." She shuddered. "Who does he think he is?! How can he have the right to give me to _Ingo?!_ Uh, anyway," she coughed, "Talon was resolute. He said he wouldn't leave without me—but I wanted to stay."

"Why?" That bewildered Link. "How could you want to...?"

"I couldn't leave Epona behind." She made eye contact with him for what Link felt was the first time today. "Can you help me?! Please, save Epona!"

"W-wait," he stuttered. "Why does Epona need saving?"

"Ingo's _cruel!"_ Malon cried. "He treats the horses terribly! And, what's worse, he's going to give her to Ganondorf! I can't stand the thought! Please, you have to buy her! I know Ingo will probably try to trick you out of it, like race you, but you know Epona's song! Epona likes you! You can beat him! I know you can!"

After a quiet, tense moment, Link gathered his thoughts and answered with a smile, "I'll do it. But after I do, you'll have no reason to stay. I want you to run when I leave. I'll meet you at the path east of here. Deal?"

Malon grinned, tears tearing at her eyes. "D-deal. I'm indebted, Link. If you need _anything—_just ask. Please."

He laughed softly and ruffled her hair. "Of course."

With that, he left her and soon found Ingo in the same place he was before. Coming up to him, he grinned, getting ready to pull out Saria's ocarina. "All right then. What was the down payment?"

"Thirty rupees," Ingo replied greedily. "For every thirty minutes."

Link reluctantly handed him the rupees and stepped through the gate. There were many horses, but none of them looked particularly happy. His gaze swept past each and every one of them, until they settled on the one he was looking for. Epona was a tall, majestic mare with a proud, vibrant sanguine coat and a fierce white mane. Slowly, he approached her, cautiously, making sure she recognized him.

She turned when she saw him approaching, neighed, and trotted off. Obviously, Link realized with a small laugh, she was the 'lone wolf' of them. Hearing Ingo snicker behind him, a fire sparked in him. He was laughing? Oh, this was funny, eh? Well, he'd show him.

Taking out the ocarina, he softly played a melody. If you were to stand there next to him, you would hear the love and compassion he held for his horse, which was so strong that even Ingo stared in amazement. The horses turned to one another, wondering which one he would choose—for such an owner was much better than the one they had now.

Link continued playing, eyes never leaving Epona. Realizing she was the one, and that he was the fairy boy from years before, she neighed in joy and raced toward him, barely stopping from colliding with him. Grinning, he gently caressed her muzzle, and she chuckled in appreciation.

He used the stirrups to help himself onto her—she was great and tall, fitting her personality. Jokingly, she reared and he nearly fell. And in return, she snickered. Laughing with her, he got back up on her, more forceful this time. After all, he did have a limited amount of time. He guided her over to Ingo using the reins, who looked as if he might swallow a fly at any moment.

"This one," Link announced confidently, "is the one I want."

Ingo's eyes bugged out of their sockets, then he quickly regained himself and shook his head rebelliously. "No! How could... she won't even listen to _me!"_ _'There's a reason for that,'_ Link thought with a dry smirk. "Alright, how's this—pay me fifty rupees and I'll race you for her! The winner gets her!"

Malon was right. Link sighed. "Deal. Here."

He gave him the rupees, and Malon came out to start the race. "On your mark!" she cried. "Ready, set! Go!"

Link snapped the reins.


End file.
